I am always amazed lately at how many new Dog Walker vans I see appear and then quickly disappear after only a few months. I can only assume it’s because they are of the impression that it’s an easy way to make a lot of money. Often, they quickly discover that if you’re doing it properly and professionally, it really isn’t “easy money”.

If there’s one thing that is guaranteed to wind me up, it’s when a conversation starts like the above. It normally goes like this “so you’re a Dog Walker……….so how many dogs do you walk at a time?” I reply with 6. This is then followed by “how much do you charge per dog?” and I reply £10. You can then see the reaction on the face and then……”£60 an hour?.....you work for a couple of hours a day and earn more than £100?!!!”.

I then find myself explaining and for some reason justifying that actually this is not the case. Firstly, 6 is the maximum number of dogs per walk and my insurance states (yes you need insurance!) that the number of dogs includes your own dogs, so in my case that’s 3. So I only have 3 clients’ dogs so we’re now down to £30. Then out of the 3 dogs normally at least 2 are from the same household so they’re discounted down to £18. We’re now down to £28. Then it’s a 1 hour walk, so by the time I’ve collected the 3 dogs, walked them and dropped them back home it’s more like 2 hours per walk so we’re now down to £14 per hour. Then there’s the consumables such as poo bags, treats, tennis balls (that always get lost).

Extra costs such as if one of your lovely pooches decides to poo, wee or throw up in the van, so all the bedding comes out and goes to the launderette to be cleaned. Besides this, the bedding has to be laundered regularly anyway but soiling is an extra expense. Then of course there are day to day towels used to dry off and clean off the mud after a walk again, these need to be laundered. Maybe some little darlings decide to chew things up in the back of the van which might be cages, leads or anything else they can get their teeth into. Anything damaged will need to be replaced at the cost of the Dog Walker.

We haven’t even thought about the clothing, wellies etc. that all get put through the mill on a daily basis and need replacing often. Without the thought of wear and tear on the van. With the amount of mileage and stop/start journeys you’re doing on a daily basis, the probability of punctures (I’ve had to replace 4 tyres at a cost of £50 each in the last year!) and brake pad replacements is high added to this the cost of the fuel you’re using each week. On average I do around 250 miles per week so need to fill up the tank every 10 days to 2 weeks at a cost at the moment of around £65.

Then we need to take into account the actual costs of setting up and running a Dog Walking business. For a decent van you’re looking at something around £5000-£6000 plus VAT. Then to kit it out with bespoke safety cages it will be a minimum of £2000. Liability and professional insurance around £200 per year. Hosting a website, advertising, etc. etc.

So you can do the maths……………..I tried to work out once how much I was actually earning per hour………I stopped……..it depressed me. Yes I love my job but it is by no means going to make me a rich woman.

If you think setting up and running a Dog Walking business is easy and an easy source of income………….think again………………the proper professional ones are barely earning minimum wage on an hourly rate.

If you’re in a position where you need to find a Dog Walker, remember what I’ve said here. You should really be asking a lot of questions before placing your trust in just anyone with a van; I always liken it to finding a Child Minder or Babysitter; you wouldn’t let just anyone be in charge of your baby or child so surely it must be the same for your dog? If you’re like me and don’t have any children, your dogs are your children and I therefore treat potential Minders with the same vetting as I would a real child. Just because our dogs can’t talk to us and tell us what’s wrong, doesn’t mean to say they don’t have feelings or that they can’t be hurt or traumatized by a bad experience.

I will do a separate blog article later on questions you should be asking potential Dog Carers as an owner but in conclusion being a Dog Walker is thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding but it really isn’t easy.

Contact Details

Furry Dogmother
Goring-By-Sea
West Sussex
UK

Tel 07717 661716

furrydogmother@live.co.uk

Sally is fantastic with our dog Doug. he has the best time on his walks, and I know he is safe and well looked after and given plenty of attention. He loves the socialisation with the other dogs and the homemade easter and christmas treats. I never worry when he is out with her and he always comes back well excersised. Such a lovely service for our pooch!!!

Laura-Ellen Topliss

Our dog Honey loves Sally, she's always so excited when she sees her and Sally does an amazing job, Honey comes home smelling so gorgeous, looking so perfectly trimmed and her fur so soft. Couldn't recommend Sally highly enough xxx

Louise Olney

Sally is fantastic, sadly we lost our dog last week however I would highly recommend furry godmother to anyone. Our dog wasn't very good with other dogs, sally made sure he wouldn't cross over with other dogs being groomed and also made sure he wouldn't see her dogs. Thank you for all the washes you gave Henry he use to love going to the poochie parlour and seeing you

Helen Lawrence

Sally is one of the few people I would trust my dog with, both for her fun filled walks and for her amazing grooming skills. I know my dog would be made to feel loved, safe and very comfortable during the whole grooming process. Keep up the great work Sally you are one in a million

Sharon Terry

Thank you so much for grooming Diesel & Fleur they look fabulous as usual - I highly recommend Sally at Furry Dogmother she always gives the dog that special touch, look forward to them coming back to see how they look. Sally is a great all rounder with all breeds ...... Karen Owen Paws 4 Walks

Karen Owen

Sally is reliable fun and the boys love her. She always tries to help out with extra walks with our boys whenever she can. A truly lovely lady, we are so delighted to have her to walk our boys. (Mary and Gill)

Mary and Gill

My dog Charlie loves his grooming experience. Sally collects him in the Furry Dogmother van and drops him back home afterwards. He comes back looking very handsome and smells wonderful. I find Sally very friendly and helpful. Sally also offers other services which I will use in the future.

Louise Tanner

I love it when my 2 Shih tzus go to Sally they look and smell gorgeous. Will always send them there.

Sabine Flack

We have just had our first grooming session for Bunny, our nine month old Mini Schnauzer with Sally. We were absolutely delighted with the results. Bunny looked fantastic. I took her for a walk later the same day, and carried her over a slightly muddy patch so as not to spoil her look!
Very importantly, when we picked Bunny up, she was clearly happy, and not distressed in the slightest. Great work - Bunny will be back!